Draft-yoke for railroad-car draft-rigging.



J. F. OCONNOR DRAFT YOKE FOR RAILROAD CAR DRAFT HIGGINS.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 13. 1916.

1 ,1 98,754. PatentedSept. 19, 1916.

l3 14 if 1 WA TTORNEY IlNITE STATES A'1ENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOLS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. MINER, OF CHAZY, NEW YORK.

DRAFT-YOKE FOR RAILROAD-CAR DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedSept. 19, 1916.

Application filed July 13, 1916. Serial No. 109,009.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draft-Yokes for Railroad-Car Draft-Rigging, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in draft yokes for railroad car draft rigging.

The object of my invention is to provide a draft yoke in which the coupler may be securely connected therewith, and readily disconnected therefrom.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figurel is a side elevation of a draft yoke embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View showing the yoke and draw-bar connection in top plan. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front end view of the draft yoke. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the locking block.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 7 indicates a yoke strap having an upper limb S, a lower limb 9, a rear connecting member 10 forming the pocketll, which is adapted to receive a draft gear, as will be readily understood. At its forward end the upper limb 8 is provided with a T-head 12 forming the shoulders 1313 against which the stirrup 14 hereinafter described is adapted to engage. The lower limb 9 is similarly provided at its forward end with a T-head 15 forming the shoulders 16 against which the said stirrup 14 is adapted to engage. Near its forward end the limb is offset as inclicated at the numeral 17 in Fig. l of the drawings, forming a shoulder 18. A looking block 19 is provided at its forward end with a shoulder or gib 20 similar to a gib 21 with which the upper limb S is likewise provided. The said shoulders or gibs are adapted, when the draw-bar and yoke are in assembled position, to engage against the usual upper and lower shoulders 2222 with which the draw-bar 23 is provided. At its rear end the locking block 19 is provided with lateral extensions 2424 forming a T-head at the rear end of said locking block and providing shoulders 2525 against which the rear edge of the stirrup 14 is adapted to engage. The stirrup 14 comprises the side plates 2626 adapted to straddle the limbs of the yoke, the said plates meeting at their top in a hinged joint 27 engaging one to the other. Near their lower ends they are provided with the transverse perforations 28-28 for the passage of the headed bolt 29, which is eX- tended through a perforation 30 provided in the lug 31, which in preferable construction is integral with the lower limb 9 of the yoke strap 7. The said bolt is provided with a suitable nut 32 and a cotter key 33 to prevent its accidental removal.

In connecting the draw-bar to the yoke strap when the strap is in position upon a railroad car, the draw-bar is inserted rearwardly between the free ends of the yoke limbs 8 and 9 until its rear face is substantially adjacent the shoulder 18 of the lower limb when the draw-bar is lifted, bringing the upper shoulder 22 into engagement with the gib 21 of the upper limb. Thereupon the locking block 19 is inserted underneath the draw-bar until the rear end thereof is substantially adjacent the shoulder'18, and the gib 20 thereof is engaged against the lower shoulder 22 of the draw-bar. The stirrup 14 is then spread sufliciently to place it back of the T-head 12 with which the upper limb is provided, and the side plates thereof are brought into their position in the vertical groove 35 formed between the shoulder 25 upon the T-head of thelocking block and the shoulder 16 of the T-head 15 of the lower limb 9 of the yoke strap. The bolt is then inserted through the stirrup and the lower limb, the said stirrup thus serving as a band to securely hold the yoke strap and draw-bar together, and also to prevent the forward withdrawal of the locking block 14 on forward movement of the drawbar. In disassembling, the reverse operation is employed.

It will thus be seen that astrong and simple connection between the yoke strap and draw-bar is afforded, one that dispenses with keys requiring the slotting of sills, and one that permits the ready insertion and removal of the draw-bar from the yoke without disturbing the yoke or the other draft rigging parts associated therewith.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging, a means for connecting a yoke strap and a shouldered drawbar, comprising a gib upon one limb of the yoke strap, a gib block associated with the other limb, a detachable hinged stirrup embracing both limbs, and a bolt, the limbs of the yoke strap being provided at their for- Ward ends with T-heads, the block being provided at its rear end with a T-head, the stirrup passing back of the T-heads of the yoke straps and in front of the T-head of the block, and the bolt passing through the free ends of the stirrup to hold the same upon the yoke strap.

2. In a draft rigging, a. means for connecting a yoke strap and a draw-bar, comprising a block associated with one limb of the yoke strap, and a stirrup embracing both limbs, the yoke limbs being provided at their forward ends with Theads, the block being provided with a T-head, the stirrup passing back of the T-heads of the yoke strap and being engaged by the T-head of the block.

3. In a draft rigging, in combination: a drawbar, a yoke strap, and means for securing the same together, comprising a detachable block to engage the draw-bar, and a hinged stirrup to hold the said parts in assembled relation.

4. In a draft rigging, in combination: a shouldered draw-bar, a yoke strap having a gib to engage a draw-bar shoulder, a detachable gib block to engage another drawbar shoulder, and a hinged stirrup to hold the draw-bar, yoke strap and block together.

5. In a draft rigging, in combinationaa drawbar, a yoke strap, and means for fastening one to the other, comprising a de tachable block engaging the draw-bar, and a stirrup holding the parts together, the said block having a T-head to engage the stirrup and prevent its forward withdrawal from the yoke strap.

6. In a draft rigging, in combination: a draw-bar, a yoke strap, a detachable block, and a stirrup, the stirrup inclosing the draw-bar and yoke strap, the yoke strap being provided with T-heads to prevent the forward withdrawal of the stirrup, a detachable block being provided with a T-hea-d to prevent its forward withdrawal.

7. In a draw-bar and yoke strap connection, a yoke band comprising a stirrup hinged at one end and provided with a bolt at its other end to detachably secure said stirrup about a draw-bar and yoke strap.

8. In a draft rigging for railway cars, in combination: a draw-bar, a yoke strap, a stirrup, and a detachable block, the drawbar being provided with shoulders, the yoke strap being provided with a gib to engage one of said shoulders, and the detachable block having a gib to engage another of said shoulders, the yoke strap having at its free ends T-heads, the detachable block having a T-head spaced rearwardly from the T-heads of the yoke strap, the T-head of the detachable block and of the adjacent limb of the yoke strap forming between them a channel for the reception of the arms of the stirrup.

9. In a draft rigging, the combination with a shouldered draw-bar and a gibbed yoke, of a detachable block bearing one of the yoke gibs, and a stirrup for holding said block in engagement with the draw-bar and yoke.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of July, 1916.

JOHN F. OCONNOR.

Witnesses:

GOLDIE A. BISHOP, RAY J. BRUCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

